Hyderabad: On Monday, State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed findings from a Judicial Commission about the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. He accused former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao of ignoring rules and expert warnings, leading to a debt of Rs 84,000 crore.
During a presentation after the cabinet meeting, Uttam explained that the 660-page report by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose highlighted how unilateral decisions made the project a financial and engineering failure under the BRS regime.
Uttam mentioned the promise to investigate the Medigadda barrage collapse. After taking office, they formed a Commission led by Justice Ghose, which reported that KCR bypassed institutional processes.
Quoting the report, Uttam noted irregularities from the project’s start to its administrative approvals on March 1, 2016. These were not government decisions but personal choices.
Uttam criticized the decision to move the barrage from Tummidihatti to Medigadda, solely made by KCR under false claims of water scarcity. The report questioned the sincerity of abandoning Tummidihatti.
He recalled that Union Minister Uma Bharti confirmed water availability at Tummidihatti, and the Central Water Commission approved the Pranahita-Chevella project in October 2014. Despite this, KCR’s government falsely claimed no water, which the Commission found malicious.
Uttam shared that an expert committee, formed in January 2015 by KCR’s government, advised against building at Medigadda, suggesting Vemanapally instead. This report was ignored intentionally.
The Commission noted the deliberate suppression of this expert advice to proceed with Medigadda, despite warnings.
Uttam detailed the timeline: the Medigadda agreement was signed in 2016, the Kaleshwaram project launched in 2019, and by October 21, 2023, structural failure caused Pillar 20 of Medigadda’s Block-7 to collapse.
He stated the Commission backed the NDSA’s findings on serious planning and design mistakes. The barrage was built on an unsuitable permeable foundation, with a cavity filled with soil instead of sand. Only 7,498 concrete samples were tested out of the required 37,000+.
